Apparatus for producing tubular waffle shapes

ABSTRACT

An apparatus for producing tubular waffle shapes from a strip of waffle material wound helically on a mandrel in edgewise overlapping relationship, and contacted by steam before overlapping to adhesively bind the adjacent convolutions. The overlapping edges are pressed together by a guide roller to assure good adhesion and the tubular waffle shape is completely filled with a creamy substance and is cut into predetermined lengths before hardening. The guide roller is mounted to feed the strip obliquely on the winding mandrel, and also exerts pressure against the overlapping edges of adjacent convolutions and advances the wound body on the mandrel.

United States Patent [1 1 Haas Feb. 26, 1974 APPARATUS FOR PRODUCINGTUBULAR 2,714,861 3 1955 Castrrnvovo 99 4502 x WAFFLE SHAPES 2,905,1059/1959 Lombi 99/450.6

[76] Inventor: Franz Haas, 25-Al2l0 Gerstlgasse, FOREIGN PATENTS 0RAPPLICATIONS Vienna, Austria 262,187 6/[968 Austria 99/4506 [22] Filed:1971 Primary Examiner-Peter Feldman [2]] Appl. No.: 207,475 AssistantExaminer-Alan l. Cantor Attorney, Agent, or Firm-John J. Dennemeyer; Ar-[30] Foreign Application Priority Data thur Schwartz Dec. 17, AustriaJune l4, 1971 Austria 5l04/7l An apparatus for producing tubular waffleshapes 52 us. Cl 99/4506 99/4507 156/429 fmm a Strip of Waffle materialhelicany a 425/391 425/403 mandrel in edgewise overlapping relationship,and [51] Int. Cl. A2lc 9/06 B6 5h 54/02 mated by steam befm OverlaWingadhesively [58] Field of Search 99/4502 4503 450.6 bind the adjacentconvolutions. The overlapping edges 425/319 320 321 3 are pressedtogether by a guide roller to assure good 7 8 adhesion and the tubularwaffle shape is completely I filled with a creamy substance and is cutinto prede- [56] References Cited termined lengths before hardening. Theguide roller is mounted to feed the strip obliquely on the windingUNITED STATES PATENTS mandrel, and also exerts pressure against theoverlapg ping edges of adjacent convolutions and advances the gee e a...1,858,507 5 1932 Jenney 99 4502 wound body on the mandrel 10/1917 Laskey99/4502 7 Claims, 3 Drawing Figures APPARATUS FOR PRODUCING TUBULAR vWAFFLE SHAPES The invention relates to apparatus for producing tubularwaffle shapes or waffle tubes by winding a strip of waffle materialwhile still in the warm, plastic condition, wherein the strip of wafflematerial supplied by a continuously working waffle baking machine iscontinuously wound helically with suitable overlapping and the resultingwound shape is filled with a cream-like substance and cut into pieces ofthe desired length. A method of this kind is described in Austrian Pat.No. 262,187. In the form of execution of the method described thereinthe cream-like substance is sprayed on the inner wall of the wound shapewhich is cut up by sawing after it and the substance sprayed into it hashardened. In order not to delay the hardening excessively, only a smallamount of creamy substance may be applied by spraying, so that,depending on requirements, subsequent filling of the hollow waffle shapemay be necessary. Nevertheless, the sawing still requires separatecooling action, or at least a longer cooling path for the wound shapebefore it reaches the cutting station. These circumstances complicatethe method in question and make it expensive.

The aim of the invention is a procedure by which completely filledwaffle shapes can be produced at reduced cost and with increased output.The invention consists essentially in that the wound shape is completelyfilled with the cream-like substance and is cut up into desired lengthsby shearing before this substance and the wound shape have beenhardened. The shearing is effected while the wound shapes are soft anduncooled, at a relatively short distance from the winding and fillingstation. The complete filling of the wound shape with a creamy substancebrings about its immediate stiffening, and above all ensures that thecross-section subjected to shearing will return to the circular shape.The lengths of separated completely filled waffle shapes, can beimmediately collected and transportedaway for shipping and may cool orharden slowly during this transport.

In order to facilitate the building-up of the internal pressure bringingabout the stiffening, good sealing or mutual welding of the individualturns of the strip of waffle material is desirable in order to preventthe cream substance from escaping at the sides. According to theinvention this is achieved by steaming the overlapping surfaces of thestrip of waffle material before overlapping. Such a strip of wafflematerial usually contains between 30 and 60 percent sugar, glucose, ormalt preparations which, under the action of wet heat, start rapidly todissolve and become sticky. When the first turn is overlapped a tightadhesive scaling is therefore effected immediately and since theactivation by the steam is only on the surface this sealed portionhardens within a short time. A correct welding of the overlapped turnsof strip material is achieved by the additional application of pressure.

Another aim of the invention is a suitable apparatus for producingfilled tubular waffle shapes. For this purpose the invention takes asstarting point the apparatus which is likewise known from Austrian Pat.No. 262,187, which has a winding mandrel provided with a longitudinalbore and may be mounted rotatably and adapted to be driven, a guidedevice, particularly with at least one guide roller for obliquelyfeeding the strip of waffle material to the winding mandrel and forpushing forward the wound shape formed on the winding mandrel, apressure device for delivering creamy sub stance through thelongitudinal bore in the winding mandrel into the interior of the woundbody, and with a separating device for cutting the endless wound body tolength. In the form of construction described the longitudinal bore ofthe winding mandrel is narrowed at its mouth to form a spray nozzle, andthe separating device is a circular saw which must move forward togetherwith the continuously advanced wound body during the separatingoperation and for this purpose is provided with special driving devices.Since sawing requires complete hardening and even requires that thewaffle shape should be brittle, the saw is disposed at a sufficientdistance from the winding mandrel, and the endless waffle shape isguided by means of special cooled supporting moulds between the windingmandrel and the saw.

The apparatus according to the invention is essentially characterized inthat the longitudinal bore in the winding mandrel at least substantiallyretains its passage cross-section as far as the outlet at the end of themandrel, and that the separating device are shears. The unimpededfilling bore of the winding mandrel permits complete filling of thewound body with creamy substance using only a small pressure, while theshears permits instantaneous separation of the filled wound body and cantherefore be stationary. Since the shearing cut is best made while thewaffle shape is still warm and soft, the shears is preferably disposed ashort distance from the winding mandrel and it is possible to work atcorrespondingly higher speed, since no special attention need to be paidto the cooling of the waffle shape.

For the purpose of carrying out the invention with steam treatment useis preferably made of a nozzle which is connected to a source of steamand the steam jet is directed on to the strip of waffle material,preferably into the wedge-shaped winding gap between the arriving stripof waffle material and the first turn of the wound body being produced.Finally, provision is made for the guide roller to be mounted in such amanner that it can be pressed against the winding mandrel in order topermit pressure welding of the turns of the wound body. For this purposeit has been found particularly advantageous to use a guide roller whichis disposed parallel to the axis of the winding mandrel and which isprovided on its periphery with a screwthread advancing the wound body onthe winding mandrel. The screwthread effects multiple application ofpressure to the overlapping parts and therefore particularly intimatepressure welding.

One example of construction of the apparatus according to the inventionis illustrated diagrammatically in the drawing in which:

FIG. 1 is a plan view of the apparatus, partly in section,

FIG. 2 is a side view, partly in section, along the line II-II in FIG 1,and

FIG. 3 is a plan view of a modified form of construction of the guidedevice used in the apparatus according to the invention.

In the drawings, numeral 1 designates a winding mandrel which may bemounted rotatably and adapted to be driven. A drivable guide roller 2 ismounted above the winding mandrel l and disposed obliquly to its axisfor the oblique feeding of the strip 3 of waffle material 3 to thewinding mandrel l. The inclination is so selected that the strip 3 ofwaffle material is overlapped when wound on the winding mandrel. Asindicated in FIG. 2, the guide roller 2 is mounted at 2' so that it canbe pressed against the winding mandrel l in order to weld together theturns of the strip of waffle material wound on to the mandrel at theoverlapping point. The roller 2 also continuously advances the woundbody 4 on the winding mandrel l as it is formed thereon.

While the guide roller 2 shown in FIG. 1 is provided with a slightlyconcave peripheral torus and is mounted with its axis inclined inrelation to the winding mandrel l, the guide roller 2a shown in FIG. 3has its axis parallel to the winding mandrel 1 and carries a multiplescrewthread on its periphery, these screwthreads being pressed againstthe wound body 4 in each case at the lowermost point and thus not onlyadvancing the wound body on the winding mandrel l but also effecting thepressure welding of the overlapped turns of the strip 3 of wafflematerial wound on the mandrel.

Through a longitudinal bore 5 provided in the winding mandrel l andconnected to a pressure source (not illustrated) for creamy fillingsubstance, this substance 6 passes into the interior of the wound body4. Due to the unimpeded outlet of the bore 5 the interior of the woundbody 4 is thus completely filled with cream 6.

Beneath the guide roller 2 there is situated a nozzle 7 which isconnected to a source of steam (not shown) and is directed into thewedge-shaped winding gap between the arriving waffle strip 3 and thefirst turn of the wound body 4, in order to permit the steaming of thewaffle strip-directly before the overlapping.

At a relatively short distance from the winding mandrel 1 andthe guideroller 2, this distance depending on the production speed selected,there are disposed stationary shears8 which serves to shear off in ascissorslike action predetermined lengths 9 from the endless wound body4. By means of the quickest possible cutting movement of the shearingcutter or cutters 8 the continuous advance of the wound body 4 is nothindered. The completely filled waffle shapes 9 cut to length arecollected and transported away for shipping or for further processing,during which movement they can cool and solidify slowly.

What is claimed is:

l. A device for the production of filled continuously wound shell-typewaffle bodies comprising:

a. a rotating winding mandrel, said mandrel having a relatively largesubstantially constant diameter longitudinal bore therethrough, saidbore being of sufficient size to flow a cream-like substancetherethrough,

b. guide roller means positioned over the longitudinal axis of saidmandrel and adjacent thereto,

0. means for feeding warm, plastic deformable dough oblique to and oversaid mandrel in an overlapping manner,

d. pressure feed means for supplying the cream-like substance throughsaid longitudinal bore to the inside of the wound body,

e. cutting means for separation of the continuously wound body intodiscrete lengths, said cutting means including a pair of scissor-likeshearing members.

2. A device as defined in claim 1 including means positioned below saidguide roller means for spraying a source of steam into the wedge-shapedgap at the point of winding between the dough being fed to the mandreland the last winding of the body.

3. A device as defined in claim 1 wherein said guide roller meansincludes a concave outer surface for facilitating the application ofpressure against said mandrel.

4. A device as defined in claim 1 wherein the longitudinal axis of saidguide roller means is oblique to the axis of said longitudinal bore.

5. A device as defined in claim 1 wherein the longitudinal axis of saidguide roller means is parallel to the axis of said longitudinal bore.

6. A device as defined in claim 5 wherein the circumference of saidguide roller means is threaded to facilitate the advancing of the bodyalong said mandrel.

7. A device for the production of filled continuously wound shell-typewaffle bodies comprising:

a. a rotating winding mandrel, said mandrel having a relatively largesubstantially constant diameter longitudinal bore therethrough, saidbore being of sufficient size to flow a cream-like substancetherethrough,

b. guide roller means having a longitudinal axis positioned parallel tothe longitudinal axis of said mandrel and adjacent thereto, said guideroller means being threaded to facilitate the advancing of the bodyalong said mandrel,

0. means for feeding warm, plastic deformable dough oblique to and oversaid mandrel in an overlapping manner,

d. pressure feed means for supplying the cream-like substance throughsaid longitudinal bore to the inside of the wound body,

e. cutting means for separation of the continuously wound body intodiscrete lengths.

1. A device for the production of filled continuously wound shell-typewaffle bodies comprising: a. a rotating winding mandrel, said mandrelhaving a relatively large substantially constant diameter longitudinalbore therethrough, said bore being of sufficient size to flow acream-like substance therethrough, b. guide roller means positioned overthe longitudinal axis of said mandrel and adjacent thereto, c. means forfeeding warm, plastic deformable dough oblique to and over said mandrelin an overlapping manner, d. pressure feed means for supplying thecream-like substance through said longitudinal bore to the inside of thewound body, e. cutting means for separation of the continuously woundbody into discrete lengths, said cutting means including a pair ofscissor-like shearing members.
 2. A device as defined in claim 1including means positioned below said guide roller means for spraying asource of steam into the wedge-shaped gap at the point of windingbetween the dough being fed to the mandrel and the last winding of thebody.
 3. A device as defined in claim 1 wherein said guide roller meansincludes a concave outer surface for facilitating the application ofpressure against said mandrel.
 4. A device as defined in claim 1 whereinthe longitudinal axis of said guide roller means is oblique to the axisof said longitudinal bore.
 5. A device as defined in claim 1 wherein thelongitudinal axis of said guide roller means is parallel to the axis ofsaid longitudinal bore.
 6. A device as defined in claim 5 wherein thecircumference of said guide roller means is threaded to facilitate theadvancing of the body along said mandrel.
 7. A device for the productionof filled continuously wound shell-type waffle bodies comprising: a. arotating winding mandrel, said mandrel having a relatively largesubstantially constant diameter longitudinal bore therethrough, saidbore being of sufficient size to flow a cream-like substancetherethrough, b. guide roller means having a longitudinal axispositioned parallel to the longitudinal axis of said mandrel andadjacent thereto, said guide roller means being threaded to facilitatethe advancing of the body along said mandrel, c. means for feeding warm,plastic deformable dough oblique to and over said mandrel in anoverlapping manner, d. pressure feed means for supplying the cream-likesubstance through said longitudinal bore to the inside of the woundbody, e. cutting means for separation of the continuously wound bodyinto discrete lengths.